Mangling the English language since 1985

Introverts, Writing, and…People!

I think a lot introverts are writers because we spend so much time in our heads (or with noses in books, in many cases). Some of us may be published, some not, some want to be, some write just for the pleasure of creating a well-turned phrase, or a beautiful image in a poem.

So non-writers might ask, well, why then do so many writing conferences exist?

I don’t claim to speak for every writer. I’m sure there are plenty of extroverted writers (I know a few…I think). But what I can say is that for me, a conference of any sort is justification for learning a few new breathing techniques, spending a week talking myself into going, and popping some extra Xanax.

It’s not that I don’t like talking. Ask my co-workers, or my family and friends. Sometimes I’m overflowing with words. It’s not even that I don’t like talking in front of people. I speak in front of groups all the time for various aspects of my life.

But small talk? Introducing myself to someone I don’t know? Please, I’d rather be chained to a chair to watch Episode I from Star Wars, or forced to drink decaf. It’s painful, I’m awkward, and hey, let’s just drink some wine in silence, while we scan Facebook and Twitter and just look like we’re socializing, okay?

Which brings us back to writing conferences. Why we introverted writers put ourselves in the situation. Simply because a good conference is an amazing experience. We get to learn from some great authors, non-fiction writers, and social media gurus. We listen to opening speeches and keynote speakers that inspire us to new heights of wordsmithing frenzy. We get to hang out with friends (if we’re lucky) and *gasp* meet new ones [Again, personal experience only, it takes me a while to work up the courage and usually it’s because I’m with someone I know already, but I do manage to meet a few people]. Plus, through all this, we get to be immersed with people who get us. People who understand how important the written word is, how addicting good stories can be, and how painful yet exhilarating creating fiction and others works can be.

I’m lucky. Philadelphia is home to the longest-running writers’ conference in the United States, the Philadelphia Writers’ Conference (PWC), which just concluded its 67th conference from June 10th through June 12th. My friend, James Knipp, is the current president, a terrific writer with a wicked mind for horror, and all-around great guy. Once again, he helped lead the PWC Board into making the annual conference a memorable experience. Over the next several posts, I will delve a little bit into the weekend’s experience, including the speakers and workshops, the social events, and the cool stuff I bought (books, of course!).

In the interest of transparency, I won a half scholarship, sponsored by the PWC, through the South Jersey Writers’ Group. The PWC offers several full scholarships by application as well as half scholarships to eligible writing groups. For the past several years, we have held a random drawing to determine the winner for our group and this year I was the lucky duck. The SJWG Board of Trustees was inspired that we have added our own scholarship for 2017; therefore, we will be awarding two members of our group a half scholarship to next year’s PWC in fulfillment of our mission as a premier writing resource in the South Jersey region.